as in monarchs
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
the aging ruler agonized over the choice of an heir
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rulers
Kurds make up about a tenth of Iran’s population, and the ethnic group’s other national factions in Iraq and Syria have allied with the US in prior decades to fight those countries’ rulers.
—
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The exhibition showcases more than 60 objects made of silver, gold, enamel and precious jewels from several European monarchs and rulers to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
—Alyson Rodriguez, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
For years, Netanyahu resisted agitation within his own right-wing government to invade Gaza and topple its terrorist rulers.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
That way, future rulers cannot repeat them.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The tradition of Olympic truces dates back to ninth century BC, when Greek rulers suspended some conflicts so that athletes could compete in sacred Games.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 1 Mar. 2026
The dramatic declaration came as Afghanistan's Taliban rulers claimed to have carried out unprecedented aerial attacks on multiple locations in Pakistan, including its capital Islamabad.
—CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Compassion, sympathy, compromise, forgiveness—they’re all abhorrent to wicked rulers.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
Yoon’s lawyers reject conviction An expressionless Yoon gazed straight ahead as the judge delivered the sentence in the same courtroom where former military rulers and presidents have been convicted of treason, corruption and other crimes over the decades.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The exhibition showcases more than 60 objects made of silver, gold, enamel and precious jewels from several European monarchs and rulers to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
—Alyson Rodriguez, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
For years, Netanyahu resisted agitation within his own right-wing government to invade Gaza and topple its terrorist rulers.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
That way, future rulers cannot repeat them.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The tradition of Olympic truces dates back to ninth century BC, when Greek rulers suspended some conflicts so that athletes could compete in sacred Games.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 1 Mar. 2026
The dramatic declaration came as Afghanistan's Taliban rulers claimed to have carried out unprecedented aerial attacks on multiple locations in Pakistan, including its capital Islamabad.
—CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Compassion, sympathy, compromise, forgiveness—they’re all abhorrent to wicked rulers.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
Yoon’s lawyers reject conviction An expressionless Yoon gazed straight ahead as the judge delivered the sentence in the same courtroom where former military rulers and presidents have been convicted of treason, corruption and other crimes over the decades.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rulers
Noun
-
The exhibition showcases more than 60 objects made of silver, gold, enamel and precious jewels from several European monarchs and rulers to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.—
Alyson Rodriguez,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Expecting a population raised under monarchs and mullahs to improvise a constitutional republic on short notice may be less strategy and more wishful thinking.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Spectres are haunting the New York City Ballet—the spectres of kings and emperors.—
Jennifer Homans,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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As the Angevin empire threatens to tear itself apart, Rob and Marian are drawn into the orbit of kings and queens, forced to wield the very instruments of Norman power to secure a future for the Saxons.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Spectres are haunting the New York City Ballet—the spectres of kings and emperors.—
Jennifer Homans,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The monkey and the lion have become Chinese emperors, Buddha’s earthly servants.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Whatever their precise content, the blessings of liberty allow people to be something like sovereigns over their own lives.—
Cass Sunstein,
Big Think,
5 Mar. 2026
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The situation weighs on regional risk on the margins, but most of those sovereigns carry strong balance sheets, Appio explained.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rulers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rulers. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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